3 by Flores Jacob Z

Author:Flores, Jacob Z. [Flores, Jacob Z.]
Language: eng
Format: azw
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2012-10-14T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 27

2010

“BE HONEST,” Dutch said.

Justin felt the lightheartedness of their previous conversation die. Distracting Dutch from his medical and legal woes made him feel better, more like himself. At first, he pretended to be interested in their debate on the pros and cons of Dick Grayson, formerly Batman’s partner Robin, taking up the cowl since Bruce Wayne’s death. Discussing comic book characters, a favorite topic of theirs, over pizza and Coke made it easy to forget his pain over losing Spencer.

After a while, though, he was no longer pretending. He fell into their old routine quite easily, which comforted him and eased his troubled soul. Losing himself in comics had always been a defense mechanism since he was a child. When his father missed a birthday, he pulled out the latest Justice League of America comic and fought alongside his heroes as they battled the android Amazo or Starro the Conqueror. When a bully ruined his day or he battled his longings for other boys in class, Superman and Batman were there to whisk him away to a place where good always won and the endings were always happy.

That was why he gave himself so completely to their debate. He didn’t agree with Dutch that Dick’s Batman destroyed the Batman mythos. Dutch found Dick’s humorous flair conflicted with the idea of striking fear in the hearts of criminals. Batman needed an edge to deal with the villains of Gotham, according to Dutch.

Justin disagreed completely. Bruce’s Batman became too dark and too distant. Dick added a refreshing spark to the cape and cowl Bruce Wayne never captured. Dick kicked ass as Batman while Bruce’s Batman floundered in gloom and grit.

Their debate, while often heated, felt as warm and soothing as chicken noodle soup on a cold day. This was what they were about, or at least what they used to be about. They could talk about comics, politics, education, even the weather, and their discussions were always easy, even if they disagreed.

For a few moments, he forgot the pain of the past few hours and the complete mess he'd made of his life. Worries about whether or not Spencer would forgive him, or even call, disappeared.

Their debate rekindled their connection, reminding him how they used to argue about events or popular issues while naked in bed on Sunday morning. They ate their breakfast and drank their coffee while trying to convince the other he was wrong, which never happened.

They saw things from different perspectives; that would never change, no matter how much they loved each other. They were destined to disagree on most every topic. While most couples might have found that a negative, he tallied it a positive. Not just because the relationship was so different from him and Spencer, since they usually agreed on everything, but because their differences never led to resentment. They grew together because of them.

Respect for each other’s opinions brought them closer together instead of creating a yawning chasm. They never tried to change the other; their debates weren’t about that.

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